Firearm



May 10, 1938.

H. L.. cRocKETT 2,116,618

FIREARM Filed May 1, 195e Patented May l0, 1938 UNITED STATES FIREABM Barry L. Crockett, New Haven, Conn., assignor to Winchester Repeatin g Arms Company. New

Haven, Conn., a corporation of Maryland Application May 1, 1938, Serial No. 77,350

This invention relates to rearms, and particularly to firearms equipped with sling-straps.

Heretofore, in using firearms equipped with sling-straps, it has been customary for marksmen to press forwardly with the hand which is used to support the forward end of the firearm, with the result that this hand has become jammed or pinched in the forward end of the acute-angled space between the underside of the forestock'and the sling-strap, to the extreme discomfort of the marksmen.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a firearm of superior construction and arrangement, whereby the discomfort above referred to is minimized.

A further object is to provide a superior firearm having a hand-abutment adjustably secured to the forestock or equivalent parts in such manner that a comfortable rest for the marksmans hand is provided.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear to those skilled in the art from the following, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing and appended claims, the present invention includes all features disclosed therein which are novel over the prior art.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showinga firearm embodying the present invention in use;

Fig. 2 is a broken view, partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal section;

Fig. 3 is a broken under-side view thereof;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the hand-abutment viewed mainly from its under-face;

3 Fig. 5 is a similar view, but viewed mainly from its upper face; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the unit comprising the strap-attaching bow and its base.

The particular firearm herein chosen for illustration includes a usual barrel I0, having a forestock I I mounted against its under side. The said forestock may be distinct from or may be formed in one piece with a buttstock I2.

In its under side and adjacent its forward end, the forestock II is formed with a relativelyshallow longitudinal recess I3 receiving an anchor-plate I4, the outer surface of which is arranged flush with the under face of the said foreprovided with a vertical passage 20 through which extends a screw 2| having its threaded upper end threaded into a cylindrically-contoured nut 22 which, like the nut I8 before described. is provided with a serrated periphery and is seated with a force-lit in a pocket 23 formed in the upper face of the forestock II.

Intermediate its respective opposite ends the anchor-plate I4 is formed with a longitudinal series of six (more or less) threaded bores 24, any one of which is adapted to receive the threaded upper end of an anchoring-screw 25 which passes upwardly through a ring-like shouldered bow-base 2S and also through substantially the central portion of a hand-abutment block or member 21 positioned against the under side of the forestock II and its anchorplate I4.

The bow-base 26 above referred to is diametrically pierced for the reception of the respective inturned opposite ends of a strap-guiding bow or loop 28 which is thus pivoted for swinging movement to the said bow-base and through which the upper reach of a sling-strap 29 is adapted to pass, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. At its forward end. the sling-strap 29 is looped through a strap-attaching bow or loop 30, which latter has its respective opposite inturned ends projecting into suitable bores in the head I'I of the screw I6 for pivotal movement with respect thereto.

The upper face 3| of the hand-abutment block 21 is transversely concaved to substantially conform to the under surface of the forestock Il and has upstanding from it, adjacent its forward end, a lug or dowel 32 which is designed to enter the particular one of the bores 24 located next adjacent forwardly of the particular bore into which the anchoring-screw 25 extends. The said lug 32 acts in conjunction with the anchoringscrew 25 to effectively prevent any turning movement of the said hand-abutment block.

The hand-abutment block above referred to may be conveniently formed of a suitable hard wood or of various compositions, such, for instance, as Bakelite, lhard rubber, urea formaldehyde, etc., and is preferably shaped at its rear end to provide a downwardly-extending transverse lip 33 which is partially intersected about midway of its width by a cylindrical recess 34 formed coaxially with the passage 35 in the block through which the anchoring-screw 25 extends and designed for the reception of the bow-base 26, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The rear face of the hand-abutment block 2l is preferably transversely curved and has secured to it, by cement or the like, a sub-facing 36 of solid but resilient rubber which in turn has secured to its rear face a facing 31 preferably formed of sponge rubber.

Bydeecting the sling-strap 29 out of the way, the anchoring-screw 25 may be unthreaded from the particular one of the threaded bores 24 in which it is located and .the entire hand-abutment block shifted .as may be desired to accommodate the arm length of a particular marksman by the positioning of the said block with its lug 32 in an appropriate one of the bores 24 and re-threading the anchoring-screw 25 into the' next adjacent bore 24 to the rear of the particular one in which the lug 32 is installed. In the particular arrangement of parts shown when the hand-abutment block 21 is shifted, the strap-guiding bow 28 will serve to hold'the upper reach of the sling-strap 29 against deilection too far away from the under face of the hand-abutment block 21, though, if desired, the said sling-strap may be looped directly around the. bow 28, rather than passed therethrough and attached in place of the bow 30.

As will appear from the foregoing and by particular reference to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the adjustable abutment-block 21 serves to prevent the left hand Vof the marksman from becoming jammed or pinched in the forward end of the acute-angled space formed between the under side of the. forestock ll and the sling-strap 29 under the natural forward thrust usually exerted by the marksman by his left hand when using a sling or by the eiects of recoil.

'I'he invention may be carried out in other specic ways than that herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the lpresent embodiment is therefore tobe considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and al1 changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. The combination with 4a firearm: of strapattaching means located forwardly of the trigger of the firearm; and a hand-abutment unit mounted intermediate the said strap-attaching means and the trigger of the firearm with capacity for adjustment longitudinally of `the rearm independently of and toward and away from the said strap-attaching means-the said hand-abutment unit including strap-receiving. means `through which a sling-strap may be passed with freedom for sliding movement.

2. The combination with a firearm: of strapattaching means located forwardly of the trigger of the'firearm; and a hand-abutment unit mounted intermediate the saidstrap-attaching means and the trigger of the firearm with capacity for adjustment longitudinally of the firearm inde- .pendently of and toward and away from the said strap-attaching means, the said hand-abutment unit including. a pivotal strap-receiving loop through which the sling-strap of the firearm may be'passed with-freedom for longitudinal movement.

3. The combination with a firearm having a fore-stock: of strap-attaching means located forwardly f the trigger of the firearm; and a handabutment unit secured to the said fore-stock intermediate the said strap-attaching meansv and the triggerof the iirearm with capacity for adjustment longitudinally lof the said fore-'stock independently of and toward and away from the said strap-attaching means, the said hand-abutment unit including strap-receiving means through which a sling-strap may be passed with freedom for sliding movement.

4. The combination with a firearm having a fore-stock: of strap-attaching means located forwardly of the trigger of the firearm; and a handabutment unit secured to the said fore-stock intermediate the said strap-attaching means and the trigger of the firearm with capacity for adjustment longitudinally of the said fore-stock independently of and toward and away from the said strap-attaching means, the said hand-abutment unit including a pivotal strap-receiving loop through which the sling-strap of the rearm may be ptassed with freedom for longitudinal movemen 5. The combination with a rearm Ahaving a fore-stock provided in its under-side with a sexies `of longitudinally-spaced threaded bores located forwardly of the trigger of the firearm; strapattaching means located forwardly of the said series of longitudinally-spaced threaded bores;

a hand-abutment member mounted with capacity for adjustment longitudinally of the fore-stock into various positions with respect to the said strap-attaching means and the trigger of the rearm; an anchoring-screw threadable into any given one o f the said series of threaded bores in the fore-stock to hold the said hand-abutment member in any given one of a variety of positions of adjustment relative to the said strap-attaching means; and strap-receiving means carried by the said anchoring-screw and constructed and arranged to slidably receive a portion of the sling-strap of the firearm.

6. 'I'he combination with a'firearm having a fore-stock: of an anchor-plate rigidly secured-to4 the under-side of the said fore-stock and'p 1'ovided with a series of longitudinally-spaced threaded bores; a hand abutment member mounted with capacity for adjustment longitudinally of the fore-stock into various positions with respect to the said strap-attaching means'and the trigger of the rearm; an anchoring-screw threadable into any given one of the said series of threaded bores in the said anchor-plate to hold the said hand-abutment member in any given one of a variety of positions of adjustment relative to the said strap-attaching means;- and strapreceiving means carried by thesaid anchoring- -screw and constructed andarranged to slidably receive a portion of the sling-strap of the rearm.

7.-The combination with a firearm having ative. tothe said strap-attaching means; and a strap-guide loop carried by the, said anchoring- 'screw and constructed and arranged to slidably receive a portion of the sling-strap' of the firearm.

HARRY L.A CROCKEI'I. 

